The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to US scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for their pioneering research on microRNA, a discovery that sheds light on how genes function in the body, shaping the specialised cells that form tissues like bone, nerve, and heart cells.
Their discovery revealed a new principle of gene regulation essential to multicellular organisms, including humans.
The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute said the research has fundamentally changed our understanding of how the human genome functions, noting that over one thousand microRNAs are now known to play critical roles in gene expression.
Ambros and Ruvkun share a prize fund of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1.05 million) for their contributions.
The Nobel Prize is one of the world’s most prestigious awards, established by the will of Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in 1895.
The prize recognises individuals or groups for significant contributions in six categories:
Peace,
Literature,
Chemistry
Physics
Physiology or Medicine
Economic Sciences.
The awards are presented annually in Stockholm, Sweden, except for the Peace Prize, which is awarded in Oslo, Norway. Each laureate receives a medal, a diploma, and a cash prize.